Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill says over the past 12 months they have welcomed 520,312 tourists as of the end of October and they expect to welcome 600,000 guests from all over the world by the end of 2022.
Hill says due to teamwork through the government, Fiji Airways and the industries, they are all working together to strike a balance between health and economic factors.
He also commended Care Fiji's commitment to the COVID plans for making Fiji a safe destination.
The International Visitor Survey has recently shown that trip satisfaction has increased from 89% prior to COVID to 93%, proving that people find happiness in Fiji.
Hill says tourists are spending more (+12%), staying longer (9.7 nights) and there have never been so many Australians in Fiji in a single month compared to September, and other countries include New Zealand, the United States and the Pacific Islands.
Hill is also incredibly proud of Fiji Airways and the accolades they have won for carrying a huge proportion of tourists into Fiji and being recognized as a major five-star airline recently is an epic feat.
While reflecting on 2022, he also looks ahead to 2023, saying despite the challenges, they will continue to grow as they have a new market opened in Vancouver, Canada, and in 2023 they hope to welcome back Japan and Hong Kong services, which are key markets in Asia.
